The ease of play and deep gaming experience are a perfect blend for whiling away far too many hours, and marathon sessions with this game are going to be commonplace. It is just really hard to put down.
This was absolutely worth waiting for, and credit must be given to Squenix for releasing a game that bravely sticks to its guns in the face of all these ridiculously complex additions to the formula that Dragon Quest got right all along.
I played this game all the time when I was younger. It's got a great story, a good soundtrack, fun characters, and it's simply just really fun to play. There's very few actual flaws that I can think of, and even if there were, this game is just so good that the flaws don't matter in the long run.
Highly recommend.
Dragon Quest VIII's world flows. It moves. It's utterly huge. It reminds one of "Zelda: Ocarina of Time" on a "Grand Theft Auto" scale. It is an adventure. It's possible to get hopelessly lost in mountain paths, or on tributaries in rivers that dissect giant continents with no place to land a boat outside of a shady hidden casino in the rocks. [JPN Import]
The landscape could be considered a character in itself - it rivals the state of San Andreas in size and detail. It's one of the few landscapes where you can look in any direction and realize that the mountain in the distance isn't scenery. [Dec 2005, p.116]
Gamers who are seeking a more modern RPG, possibly darker and a more mature western-style storyline may not really find Dragon Quest VIII to their taste; the whole game may be a little too cute for their liking.
While I did get some enjoyment from playing it, especially the first 20 hours or so, I’m left craving something more substantial, probably something that invloves the words "Fantasy" and "Final".
A good lengthy story but mediocre gameplay.
I think that Dragon Quest 8 will appeal to a very specific group of people. It does a few things really well but it feels like a game out of the past. That can either be seen as a good thing or a bad thing. Personally I enjoyed the story but I found the gameplay to be very boring and repetitive. I love long RPGs and this game is certainly that. The main quest is very long and there are lots of secrets. The problem that I have is when you get late in the game pretty much the only way to level up is by hunting metal slimes and they are extremely boring to fight against. Another problem I have is that there are very few combat abilities. Even late in the game I was still using basic attacks. Compared to games like Tales or Symphonia, Final Fantasy X, and Shadow Hearts: Covenant, all games that came out before, the battle system in Dragon Quest 8 feels extremely basic and boring. Outside of combat the gameplay is nothing special. There aren't really any puzzles to solve and exploration is hindered by annoying random encounters. The crafting system is quite good though and can be very rewarding as it gets you many of the best weapons in the game. The monster area was also a highlight.
The story is probably the best part about the game although it is fairly simple compared to most Final Fantasy games but it is full of fun interactions. I was interested enough that I always wanted to know what would happen next and it is a very long story. The characters are quirky and enjoyable enough to watch although they aren't particularly deep. The protagonist is silent but the game does a great job of making him appealing by having Yangus communicate for him. Their relationship is surprisingly quite fun to watch and is an interesting way to present a silent hero.
The visual design is clean and cartoony, it looks good enough but there are many older games that look better. The visuals fit the game fine and have aged pretty well but it is average looking for the most part.
Sound design is quite good, the soundtrack is orchestrated and has some really appealing songs. The voice acting is a mixed bag, most of the accents sound pretty unnatural but for its time I think the voice work is pretty decent and the game gives you the option to disable it so it deserves some credit for that. The environments also have really nice atmospheric sound effects that create a sense of immersion.
Overall, I think Dragon Quest 8 is good but it is held back by repetitive somewhat boring gameplay. Nothing about the combat stands out as exceptional when compared to other RPGs. The story is enjoyable with a lot to offer but it isn't as deep or complex as it could have been. The characters are quirky and mostly likable but they lacked the depth that I would have liked to see in such a lengthy Quest. It has a big world with lots of locations to explore but many of the areas look very similar and exploration gets repetitive. If you really like old school RPGs this game is probably great for you if not it is not likely to win you over to the genre.
I give Dragon Quest 8 - 71%
Gameplay – 5
Story – 8
World - 7
Characters – 7
Visual Style – 6
Sound Design – 8
Uniqueness/Ideas – 7
Length/Amount of Content – 9
Immersion – 7
X-Factor - 7
Giant luscious world to roam around in. Memorable locations to visit. Lovable character artwork by Akira Toriyama... Painfully slow story development...
Every fight nearly K.O.s your entire party, takes 10 minutes to win and then requires a trip all the way back into town to heal at the inn and save at the church... heal at the inn, save at the church... heal at the inn...
There should have been vehicles available (and early on too). Dragons and Pegasi to fly around on. Horses and lions and/or other creatures to tame, train, level-up and ride on. Build vehicles, piece by piece from gathered material in your alchemy pot !!! ANYTHING !!!
This is absolutely, without doubts, the worst game I've ever played in 31 years of my life. I've been into gaming since I was 2 years old. I played DQ1, DQ11, all the FF saga, blue dragon, all Fire Emblem entries from the SNES onwards.
After 20 hours of playing, NOTHING happened. I closed the game just when the monster arena and the Chateau Felix appeared to be inserting SOMETHING into the game. This is a pure cashgrab with diluted story, gameplay and without doubts one of the worst in terms of characterization of each individuality.
There is no surprise, characters are just tropes into a game, there is literally zero motivation to play the main quest, the gameplay is insanely simple and straightforward, just rushing towards the highest DPS with little to no strategy regarding statuses or anything worth mentioning.
Monsters design is TERRIBLE, wtf are two peppers on a stick doing?
I spent 20 hours waiting for the game to get better, only to see mechanics that should've been there from the start diluted just to make this **** insanely long, uninspired, boring and ultimately a nostalgia trip for even more boring people.
HORRIBLE.
Un jeu du Club Dorothée avec ses graphismes 256 couleurs, son histoire éculée, sa mise en scène sans queue ni tête, ses personnages niais et son interface consternante (on regarde à droite, la caméra va à gauche... il faut confirmer chaque ligne des dialogues débiles avec X...). Les combats avec les menus à la Final Fantasy sont à dormir debout, tout comme l'ensemble de ce soit disant RPG qui ennuierait même des enfants de maternelle.
SummaryThe world of Dragon Quest VIII is created with breakthrough 3D graphics. The world, which includes fields, towns and dungeons, allow players to move around seamlessly. The graphics are of a high-quality animation, and players can feel as if they are walking around inside the world created by Character Designer, Akira Toriyama. The battle...